Jaley's Journey

My dear friends. I have officially been in Rwanda for an entire month. I keep praying that time would slow down, but instead I feel like it is slipping at my fingers way too quickly. I have found myself cherishing every moment I have left in this beautiful country. So much has been happening in this one short month that I have found it hard to sit down and tell you all about it. So, that is exactly what this post will be. All about my experiences, discoveries, things I have learned, joys and hardships that I have faced along the way.

They call Rwanda, “The land of a thousand hills”, which perfectly describes what I have seen. I am surrounded by rolling green valleys and mountains (or hills as they call them) that still manage to take my breath away. This tiny country, that I almost missed on a map, is filled with over 10 million people. You walk out your front door and are instantly moved by the beauty: Women balancing baskets of fruit on their heads. Tiny babies tied onto their mother's backs. Sugar canes balanced on the back of bikes. Motos weaving in and out of traffic. Colorful shops lining the streets with music and dancing filling your ears. This is where I find beauty. This is where I stand in awe of God. So many cultures. So many countries. So many languages. Each so different and diverse. And yet, we find ourselves united together through the power of Christ.

A couple of weeks ago I went to view the Genocide Memorial. In 1994, twenty-two years ago, Rwanda experienced one of the worst genocides in modern history. Close to 800,000 people were killed in only 100 days. Mothers. Fathers. Daughters. Sons. Innocent Children. All having their lives taken from them. As I walked through, I felt my body start to go numb. No words can adequately explain the emotions I experienced that day. As I stood and stared at the hundreds of skulls and bones that lined the room, my heart completely broke for this country. As I quickly proceeded to the next room, in fear of completely losing it, I looked up to find walls covered in pictures of those who had lost their lives in this terrible war. Family photos. Wedding pictures. Husband and wives. Grandparents and grandchildren. All gone. I remember thinking this has to be it. There can't be anything worse than this. That is when I reached the room completely dedicated to the innocent children who lost their lives. The room is covered in pictures and stories like sweet little David.

David, age 10, loved futball and wanted to become a doctor when he grew up. His last words were, “UNAMIR (U.N.) will come for us." Tortured to death.

I felt so much hurt, pain, anger, and confusion rush through my body. This is was someone's son. Someone’s daughter. This was someone’s family. Someone’s neighbor. Someone’s friend. Someone’s loved one, now just a memory. How does one comprehend a tragedy like this? I couldn't. I don't know that I ever will. One thing I do know is that Christ’s grace is sufficient. I can see that as I stand in the midst of what used to be a battle zone. I can see it as I watch a country that was destroyed by power rise up again from the dust. It has only been 22 years. Most of the people I know were alive during this time and yet I see them moving forward in ways I could never imagine. Rwanda has healed in ways that is only possible through the love and grace of Christ. So I praise Jesus for the healing and rebuilding that continues in this beautiful country.

One way I have seen God at work here in Rwanda is through the bible studies led with the DuHope women. Last week I started studying the bible with the DuHope women on Monday and Tuesday mornings. We are going through the Old Testament in search of better understanding the character and nature of God. I was so nervous when I was first asked to do this that I almost said no. Now, the time I get to study with them has become one of my greatest blessings. I get to witness them search deep within their souls and ask tough questions. I get to witness them talk openly about their own journey with God. I get to witness their struggles and their joys. I get to witness the power of God as I watch Him work through each and every one of their lives. I always tell them, “I am in this journey with you.” I often find myself without the answers or the right words to say and I think that is the beauty of this time we have together. I prayed that this would be a time where we could be ourselves. A time where didn't have to act like we have it all together. A time filled with honesty and truth. And that is just what it has become and more.

Another way I have seen God at work is through the new friendships he has created. Amy and Arianna have been such an incredible blessing to my life. They came to Rwanda from South Dakota to do an summer internship with Belay. These girls feel like family. They have been my rocks. Being in a new culture and environment has its peaks and valleys, and these girls have been by my side through it all. Through the tears and laughter. Anger and joy. Confusion and hurt. They have been with me every step of the way. We have made so many memories together that will last me a lifetime. It is not the extravagant ones that l hold closest to my heart, (although I do cherish those as well) it is the hours spent in coffee shops and restaurants where we share our testimonies, the things we have learned through the struggles we have faced, and the outpouring of love through it all. These are the moments I find myself clenching onto ever so tightly and never wanting to let go. I could sit here and write about all the other friendships I have made in this month, but I don’t have the time or paper space to do that, so I will save that for the next post. Just know, through every friendship comes blessings. And through every blessing, I am reminded once again of the goodness and faithfulness of our King.

This weekend I got to go outside of Kigali and be a part in some really neat things with Amy and Arianna. On Friday, we went out to a local village and volunteered at the school, Top Care Academy. There is just something about being in the midst of God’s children that uplifts and fills the soul. That is exactly what was happening this weekend. God was working deep in the depths of my soul as I was surrounded by His beautiful children. We spent the morning teaching English to primary classes one, two and three. The kids were amazing! After teaching English, all the classes gathered into a room and put on performances for us. They danced and sang many songs for us that ended up bringing tears to the brim of my eyes. The children, filled with such innocence and complete joy. Oh, dear Jesus! This is what He was talking about. As I watched them run and dance and sing with not a worry in the world I suddenly thought of Jesus. In Matthew 18, Jesus says these beautiful and powerful words. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” I want that. As I watched the children and the love and joy they had I found myself longing for just that. I found myself longing for their innocence. I found myself longing for their unconditional love. I found myself longing for their overflowing joy. Oh, the beauty of children and the beautiful promises we are reminded of through them.

Saturday we went to the opposite side of Kigali to meet a man who was very special to Amy and Arianna. These girls are students at a University in South Dakota called, Dakota Wesleyan. Their professor adopted her daughter, Espy, from Rwanda. When Espy was born, she was abandoned in lowly ditch in the middle of the night. A man named Ettiene was walking home when he heard a faint cry. He didn't know whether it was an animal or a human so he froze and listened carefully. When he thought it might be a person, he followed the cries off the woven path to find a new born baby with the umbilical cord still attached. He wrapped the baby in a towel he had in his bag and ran her to the hospital, carrying her the whole way. Ettiene cared for this baby, but didn't have the resources or money to keep taking care of her. He had a newborn baby of his own to care for, so he took her to an orphanage and visited her often. Amy and Arianna are very close to Espy and their professor who adopted her, so it was so special for them to get to visit the man who saved her life. Ettiene talked about finding Espy and you could hear the love and care he still had for her after all these years. We ate and sang and danced and celebrated the blessing of new friendships. This weekend was filled with so much joy and hope. I keep finding Jesus everywhere I go and am reminded of his constant faithfulness.

Ways you can be Praying:

Pray for the DuHope women. Pray that they would continue to open up and be receptive to the grace that Christ brings. Pray that they would continue to move towards accepting Him into their lives.

Pray that as my time here in Rwanda nears the end, I would seek Jesus is everything I do, His light would be shown and His glory revealed. Pray that relationships will continue to be built and God’s love will continue to be poured over all I come in contact.

Pray for Belay as they prepare to launch their next entrepreneurship training in July. They are in the middle of trying to raise all the funds needed to make it happen. Women are lined up waiting for this training in hopes of bettering their futures.

Pray for Rwanda as a whole, that God’s love would be shown throughout the entire city.

Pictures:

Teaching English to the students

Students at Top Care Academy